Fur Ball grosses $824k for Richmond SPCA to treat homeless animals’ veterinary needs
Richmond, VA— The Richmond SPCA’s shelter veterinary services department has budgeted to spend more than $1 million to deliver medical care to homeless animals this year, and Saturday’s successful 26th Annual Fur Ball has raised $824,000 of that budget.
The event paid special tribute to the Richmond SPCA’s director of veterinary services.
“For two decades, Dr. Angela Ivey and the team she oversees have carefully spent the proceeds of the Fur Ball guaranteeing thousands of sick, injured and neonatal homeless animals receive the medical treatment they need not only to survive but later thrive in adoptive homes,” said Richmond SPCA CEO Tamsen Kingry.
When Dr. Ivey joined the organization’s staff in 2004, the Fur Ball raised about $245,000 for the Cinderella Fund, which treated the injuries and illnesses of 1,900 dogs and cats. Today, the Cinderella Fund makes it possible to treat and rehabilitate more than 3,500 homeless animals in medical distress, or about 80% of the 4,405 pets sheltered by the Richmond SPCA annually.
Kingry said, “Dr. Ivey’s leadership has enabled us to expand our veterinary team, respond to more complex medical cases, and, most crucially, save more lives. Tonight, it was my joy to recognize Dr. Ivey’s contributions to the field of animal welfare with our organization’s highest honor, the Ellen Glasgow Award for Humane Service.”
The gala at The Jefferson Hotel was presented by Moore Subaru of Richmond and attended by 386 guests and 23 pets. The event began with cocktails in the hotel’s rotunda, sponsored by The London Company. Pets and their people descended the Grand Staircase in the Parade of Pets, sponsored by Holiday Barn Pet Resorts, with introductions by emcee Mike Stone of CBS6. The parade began with Cicada, a kitten in the care of the Richmond SPCA, being walked by Holiday Barn Pet Resorts Leader of the Pack Michael Hughes and his wife Charlotte. VCU student-athletes from the men’s basketball team, Zeb Jackson and Joe Bamisile, also joined guests in the Parade of Pets to highlight the importance of adopting a pet.
The program in the Grand Ballroom began with the presentation of the Ellen Glasgow Award for Humane Service followed by the Cinderella Video, sponsored by the Virginia Sargeant Reynolds Foundation, highlighting the legacy of Dr. Ivey, who plans to retire in 2025. During her tenure stewarding the Cinderella Fund, Dr. Ivey has overseen delivery of lifesaving veterinary care to more than 60,000 homeless animals who found hope and a new life at the Richmond SPCA.
The Irongate Capital Advisors Fur Ball Raffle was open to all and offered five prize packages. Only in-person guests had the option to purchase tickets in the Diamonds Direct 1-in-100 Raffle, in which fewer than 100 tickets were sold for the chance to win their choice of a piece of jewelry valued at $5,000.
Those attending the event in person and participating from home had the opportunity to bid on more than 90 packages in the online auction, sponsored by Best Friends Animal Society, and make direct gifts to the Cinderella Fund. Those cash donations, or Angel Pledges, were sponsored by ColonialWebb, and brought in $102,275 from 139 donors. These contributions will provide a wide range of veterinary interventions from orthopedic surgeries to respiratory viruses, management of kidney disease and more among homeless animals.
Photos courtesy of volunteer Rich Terrell.
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